Friday, July 6, 2007

My Baby's Birth Photos


So my baby just turned two, and I got to thinking about how fast time flies. It seems like just yesterday he was born. His birth was different than any of the others. This time, I was going for the ultimate earthy birth. I had a water birth at a little house that was a birth center. Since this was my last birth, I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted to document everything. For all the other births, all the pictures were tastefully posed: me smiling pregnant in my hospital gown and robe, me all freshened up holding my baby, you get the picture. This time, I got some video of my labor, and photos all through the process. I even got exit photos! Those were really embarrassing to have developed. I was at Walmart using one of those machines, hunched over it and looking furtively around. But I ended up with my awesome birth, just how I was hoping it would be, and the photos to remember it by. Only a few people ended up seeing them, but they were for me, you know? Alas, and woe, they didn't stay just with me. About a year ago, we were sitting at the dinner table, Lewis clears his throat and says, "Jon over at (My husband's old job) was cleaning out a cupboard and found a strange CD." His eyes dart to me and look away quickly. "He put it in, and when he recognized who it was, he took it out immediately (yeah right!)." Blood leaves my face, my heart contracts, and I ask with numb and tingling lips "What disk was it?" "Um, your birth photos." My heart actually stops beating at this point, and I lay there on the bench beside the table in an agony so exquisite it can not be described. Jon, who was just at our house, seeing me like that. Down there! My husband was quick to reassure me, don't worry, he didn't look at them all, just until he recognized who it was! After my heart began restoring blood to my head again, I asked for the offending cd, and investigated exactly how exposed I was. There was a little good news. There weren't any photos of a gynecological nature at all, just ones of a, ahem, mammary nature- which is almost as bad. I guess it serves me right, having those pictures around. It does beg the question though, How in the world did those pictures get left in a cupboard at my husband's work!

5 comments:

Allison said...

Um, yea! What were they doing at work? How embarrassing! I'm glad you got your perfect birth....and sorry that your baby is already two. Amazing how quickly it happens!

The Bloxham Bunch said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Bloxham Bunch said...

Love the story. It just cracked me up, sorry it was at your expense. Thanks for sharing it. Happy Birthday LIAM!

Home of the Muddy Kids said...

The same thing happened to me!!! It was AWFUL!! Only, it was DAD who saw the pictures. DAD!!!!! As I watched my sweet and very beloved midwife beckon him over, camera in hand, I too had the agony of the blood leaving all brain cells in a massive evasive maneuver. I hadn't seen the pics yet, but I could tell from his nervously shifting eyes that he was trying to look anywhere other than that camera while still trying to be polite. That's when I knew that it was bad. Naked as a jay bird, but lucky as sin that the battery died halfway through the birth. Still!

Kim said...

I'm so impressed that you gave birth that way. I wanted to go that way with my fourth but Jeff was a "little" apprehensive about the idea because of my crazy complications. I love giving birth and treasure every one of my experiences with each one of my kids. I wanted to see everything too and we got some video and pictures. The pictures are safe so far, and I edited the video after watched it. I LOL when I read your blog. Crazy stuff. My baby will be 2 in January. I remember thinking that she'd never get here!!!!